_ 
FEBRUARY 29, 1884.] 
orological reports and weather-maps,’ pub- 
lished in 1871, to aid in popularizing the work 
of the signal-service, is not sufficiently detailed, 
and has never had a great circulation. Another 
edition of it, with additional illustration and 
mention of the many facts discovered by studies 
of the ten years of signal-service observations, 
is now much needed; for we have no book in 
this country occupying the place held in Eng- 
land by the excellent little volume on ‘ Weather- 
charts and storm-warnings,’ prepared by Mr. 
Scott of the British meteorological office. An 
attempt in this direction has, however, recently 
been made by Mr. S. S. Bassler of the Cincin- 
nati Commercial gazette, who aims to make ‘‘ a 
practical guide to weather-changes, and a help 
to a better understanding of the weather re- 
ports and predictions daily issued,’’ with espe- 
cial adaptation to the Ohio valley. The ordinary 
sequence of atmospheric conditions accompany- 
ing barometric maxima and minima is briefly 
described and roughly illustrated ; but we regret 
to find in the field of popular instruction, where 
conciseness, clearness, and accuracy are of 
prime importance, so many departures from 
these essentials. Error and inaccuracy of state- 
ment, as well as the omission of many impor- 
tant facts, for which ample space might be 
found by avoiding needless repetitions, indicate 
lack of acquaintance with the subject; and 
although the preface says that ‘‘ it is not pro- 
posed to consider any of the conflicting scientific 
theories, many of them still mere assumptions 
that have been accepted as explaining the phe- 
nomena daily presented in our atmosphere,”’ 
we find on p. 36 the following obscure and in- 
accurate statement concerning the origin of 
storms : — 
“The warm, light, vaporized air may move high 
over the land, frequently over strata of dry cool air, 
in great volume, from the central meteorological 
zone, gradually sinking down and forming the germs 
of barometric fields of low pressure, which spread 
and develop into extensive storm areas. It is in 
such fields that the heat of the sun is concentrated 
and storm centres originated. The earth absorbing 
electricity from the air, electric disturbances of more 
or less violence, according to the intensity of the 
condition, are experienced. ‘The absorption or with- 
drawal of electricity from the vaporized air produces 
sudden condensation, excessive precipitation, and 
change of temperature.”’ 
It is said farther on, that the tornado ‘‘ has 
its origin in the enormous electric tension 
caused by the friction of opposing atmospheric 
currents of different temperature; and elec- 
tricity is undoubtedly the active agent produ- 
cing the appalling effects of tornadoes.’’ Some 
physical demonstration of this very popular 
SCIENCE. 
263 
and very erroneous assumption would not be 
out of place after so unqualified an assertion. 
The pamphlet is better than nothing, but it is 
by no means a satisfactory piece of work. 
ART-CATALOGUE OF THE NEW-ENG- 
LAND MANUFACTURERS’ INSTITUTE. 
Catalogue of the art department of the New-England 
manufacturers’ and mechanics’ institute. Boston, 
Cupples, Upham, & Co., 18838. 4°. 
Tuts catalogue certainly has a very alluring 
exterior, and leaves little to be desired in its 
general presentation of reproductions of certain 
sketches and pictures which were exhibited at 
the fair of 1888 in Boston. It is not our func- 
tion to criticise the pictures, but the methods 
of reproducing the pictures and sketches by 
the various mechanical processes exhibited in 
the catalogue fall within the province of Sci- 
ence. 
Still, a critic of the various methods of repro- 
duction of pictures cannot limit himself entirely 
to a mere consideration of the thoroughness 
of the technical processes involved in such re- 
productions ; for he would appeal only to the 
ardent follower of the albertype process, or 
to an etching process. He must decide as 
impartially as possible, which of the various 
methods exhibited, for instance, in this cata- 
logue, gives an idea of the pictures which 
appeals to the artistic sense in the fullest way. 
From this point of view there is no doubt that 
the wood-engravings and the etchings in this 
catalogue are superior to the specimens of the 
albertypes, and to those of the photographic 
processes in general. No photolithographic 
process represents the values of the lights and 
shades of a picture except in the most solid 
and implacable manner. Witness the ‘ View 
on the Nile,’ which represents a darbeah in the 
.foreground, with some figures on the river- 
bank near it, a stretch of river and of low-lying 
hills. The reproduction has an air of vraisem- 
blance, but nothing more. It is not artistic. 
The little picture entitled ‘Give me a swing,’ 
representing a pretty little girl leaning against 
a tree near a hammock, and coquettishly en- 
treating some passer-by, is a better specimen - 
of what an albertype cando. The remaining 
specimens of albertypes lose whatever clearness 
of definition a real photograph might possess, 
and render the blackness of shadow of many 
photographs in a still more pronounced way ; 
so that the albertypes presented in this volume 
have the appearance of poor photographs. 
There are certain subjects, however, for the 
reproduction of which the albertype is suitable. 
